What New PR Practitioners Should Know Before Joining their First Agency

Joining your first agency or starting your first public relations job can be intimidating. There’s no need to worry. Most agency employers I know are willing to coach and mentor new practitioners as long as they’re reliable, try hard, and willing to learn. But there are some ways new hires can stand out when starting a new agency position.

As someone who has taught hundreds of PR students over the past decade and even hired some of them for my agency, here are some things I wish new graduates knew (and I do my best to teach) before finding their first job.

PR Tips Before Joining First Agency

There are always three things that set students apart from their peers in many agencies: great writing skills, great media relations skills, and an aptitude to learn, which in turn supports the first two skills. While these can be taught, they take time and intent to hone and improve. Here are five things that can help you with these skills and a few others in that first job:

1. Public relations is about relationships. Relationships are currency in this business (and I would argue all businesses) and how you comport yourself online and off will reflect on you and where you work. It’s also important to invest in relationships with your classmates, colleagues, and your network. Clients need to know that you can manage your own reputation before they will want you to manage theirs.
2. It’s your job to find the story. Clients sometimes don’t know what the story they’re trying to tell is. Sometimes it’s hard to find their story or present it to the media in a compelling way. However, as PR practitioners our job is to mine what’s interesting from each of our clients and help them tell it effectively. This means engaging with the news in many different formats, scanning the environment, and understanding what conversations are taking place in your clients’ industry and how they may participate in a meaningful way. This also means knowing how to create a great, well-researched media list. Of course, your manager can help and support, but make sure you’re contributing to the conversation and thinking of new angles and possibilities to support our clients. Which leads us to the next point.
3. Come to the table with ideas. A manager once told me that you should always have a point of view in any business discussion. This is great advice, because it means you are prepared for every conversation by doing your homework and thinking strategically about the problem. I don’t want only senior people at my agency being responsible for the ideas, whether for new internal processes or for client work. We all have thoughts and experiences to contribute. Do your research. Learn the industry. And then have the courage to share your ideas. We might not go with all of them but at least it shows you’re engaged and thinking creatively.
4. Journalists care about writing. A lot. So should you. When I was starting out, a journalist thought a headline on a release I sent them wasn’t catchy enough. He responded back to me with three re-drafted headlines that he thought would work better. That’s passion. Treat every draft you write like it’s your final. Never send something to a client that hasn’t been edited and edited again. And absolutely do not send anything to a journalist that isn’t well written and professional. Sloppy writing sends a signal that you don’t care about storytelling as much as they do.
5. Sales and business development. While bringing in business is not expected of most new practitioners, understanding the importance of sales and business development can show that you understand the business-side of running an agency and that you’re relationship-oriented (see point one).

Working in an agency can be fun and rewarding. It’s a dynamic and fast paced environment where you’ll improve your skills, while learning what types of accounts you like to work on. Whether you’re starting your first agency position or your fifteenth, it’s always a bit nerve wracking. I hope these tips make it a little less so. If you’re ready to dive into the world of media, influencers and so much more, consider taking my Media Relations & Influencer Marketing Course with Jelly Academy! This short, 3 lesson course, will set you up with the tools and knowledge to take the plunge into the world of PR.

Written by Kylie McMullan, Finch Media